Claw hammer



Feb. 21,. 1928. v 1,660,237

H. E. SMALL CLAW HAMMER Fil ed r" 4. 1927 Patented Feb. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES HARRY E. SMALL, OF TAMPA, FLORIDA.

CLAW HAMMER.

Application filed April 14, 1927. Serial No. 183,766.

This invention relates to claw hammers and has for an important object thereof the provision of a nail pulling attachment for claw hammers, which will not be subjected to the interference arising from the use of the ordinary claw provided on the hammer.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be formed as an attachment for the hammer and which may be readily and cheaply produced and readily applied thereto.

These and other objects I attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a claw ham mer head constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a side elevation partially in section showing the hammer in use to extract the nail;

' Figure 4 is a transverse sectional vievt through the attached plate showing the man ner in which the nail is engaged.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates-the handle socket of a claw hammer, 11 the driving head thereof and 12 a reduced neck connecting the head and socket. The outer end face of the neck 12 is usually spaced inwardly from the outer end face 13 of the hammer, with the result that the head and socket afford opposed shoulders 14 and 15.

In accordance with my invention, I form in the shoulders 14: and 15 notches 16 which are undercut from the outer end face of the hammer and engage in these notches the beveled ends 17 of a plate 18. The bottom walls of. the notches are spaced from the outer end face 19 of the neck 12, so that a space is provided between adjacent faces of the plate and neck. The plate 18 has formed therein a keyhole slot, the head 20 of which is arranged adjacent the driving head engag ing end of the plate 18. The stem 21 of the keyhole slot tapersto a point at its free end and the walls of said stem portion diverge toward the neck confronting face of the plate 18.

It will be obvious that the head of the.

opening 20 will admit the head ofa nail which is to be drawn and the shank of the nail may be engaged'in the slot until the walls of the slot bind thereon to. clamp the same. With a nail so engaged, there is no resistance to rotation of the hammer with theclaw as a pivot until the hammer handle actually comes into engagement with a surface from which the nail is being drawn. Since this will raise a nail through a considerable distance, as compared to the distance through which it may be raised with the ordinary claw, many nails, which it is V impossible to draw with the claw, may be drawn thereby. It is pointed out that the claw not only coacts to provide a pivot, but will, in some cases, be necessary to slightly elevate the nail, so that the head may be con veniently engaged in the slot of the plate 18.

Since the construction hereinbefore set forth is capable of a certain range of change and modification without materially departing from the spirit of the invention, I do not limit myself to such specific structure except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim 1. In combination with a claw hammer including the usual claw, handle socket and driving head connected with the handle socket by a'neck, a plate secured to the outer ends of the handle socket and head and having its inner face spaced from the confronting face of the neck, said plate having a keyhole slot formed therein, the head of which is adjacent the driving head engaging end of the plate and the stem of which tapers to a point.

2. In combination with a claw hammer including the usual claw, handle socket and driving head connected with the handle socket by a neck, a plate secured to the outer ends of the handle socket and head and hav- HARRY E. SMALL. 

